A Motive For Murder (40 page)

“Beautiful!” thundered Raoul Martinez without
warning, causing his entire row of board members to jump in
terrified unison. “We’ll do something Russian. Something cold, with
sweeping tundra vistas and gales of snow and sleighs being drawn
across the stage.”

“No!” a small bald man interrupted hastily in a
pipsqueak voice. He seldom spoke at meetings. As the Metro’s
orchestra conductor, he was far more comfortable communicating
through music than words. “No more fake snow. I must insist. You
are giving my horn players pleurisy.”

“He’s right,” a socialite agreed. “I’m sick of your
fake snow. It’s bad enough we have the real stuff. Let’s do
something romantic and Russian, something that Fatima and Rudy can
really get into. Like Romeo and Juliet.”

“Your geography is off, but the idea is sound,”
Auntie Lil agreed.

“Romanoff and Juliet!” Raoul Martinez cried.

“Let’s leave it to Emili,” Lilah countered calmly.
Before anything more could be said, she banged the gavel and
announced that the meeting was adjourned.

Board members scrambled for the door, eager to be the
first to phone their friends with the inside news on Bobby Morgan’s
death. They burst into the hallway, only to find a tipsy T.S.
blocking the door with help from a marginally more sober Herbert
Wong.

“Sorry,” T.S. said, stepping back with the flair of
Gene Kelly in his prime. “We are here to escort the two loveliest
ladies in New York City to the Rainbow Room for a bit of
dancing.”

He demonstrated his intentions by holding an
imaginary partner in front of him and fox trotting down the hall a
few feet.

“This is easy,” he thought to himself. “It just takes
a little practice.” And what better way to practice than by
grabbing a partner, he decided, taking a surprised board member in
his arms and leading her back to the doorway just as Auntie Lil and
Lilah appeared in it to see what was causing all the
excitement.

“Theodore,” Auntie Lil said in amazement as her
nephew swept past in a cloud of gin and vermouth.

T.S. thrust his current partner at Herbert then
highstepped it nimbly back toward Auntie Lil. He bowed low as he
passed her then grabbed Lilah around her waist. “Let’s switch to
the Latin dances, class!” T.S. cried as he executed a few mamba
steps, swayed to a samba, and followed with a lively rumba
shake.

Herbert Wong was never one to leave his friends to
suffer singular embarrassment. He collected Auntie Lil and followed
T.S. down the hall, his firm grip on her elbow making it plain that
she was not to attempt to lead.

“Theodore,” Lilah exclaimed, admiring his tuxedo, “I
love to dance. But I haven’t danced in years. Whenever did you find
the time to learn?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, my sweet,” T.S. said,
dipping her over his knee to the admiring gasps of the crowd. “Now
everybody cha-cha!”

# # #

Visit
http://www.katymunger.com
for more information on the author and her books.

Books by Katy Munger, writing as Gallagher
Gray

PARTNERS IN CRIME

A CAST OF KILLERS

DEATH OF A DREAM MAKER

A MOTIVE FOR MURDER

Casey Jones books by Katy Munger:

LEGWORK

OUT OF TIME

MONEY TO BURN

BAD TO THE BONE

BETTER OFF DEAD

BAD MOON ON THE RISE

Books by Katy Munger, writing as Chaz
McGee

DESOLATE ANGEL

ANGEL INTERRUPTED

DARK ANGEL (2012)